Many of us live in a culture that resists a quiet inward orientation. Our senses are constantly lured outward with flashy images, sound bites and all manner of entertainment, expressly designed to capture and keep our attention. It’s intoxicating and another example...
As March 2022 begins, it feels like our world is in a state of upheaval. The seasons are changing and many places in the world are lifting COVID restrictions, trying to transition back to a more “normal” way of life. But the seasons and the pandemic are overshadowed...
As we celebrate Black History Month in the U.S., and reflect on the actual meaning of Valentine’s Day, let us be inspired to answer the call to serve those in need. Saint Valentine’s life is just one enduring example of selfless service. Roses and chocolates aside,...
Imagine waking up in the morning with a palpable sense gratitude for being alive and having another opportunity to engage in life. Imagine what it would be like to approach your whole life with gratefulness as the foundation from which you encountered each moment....
It is time. It is past time. We are witnessing a myriad of overlapping world crises manifesting in destructive ways. We all, every one of us, need to take some form of action now. Our world is calling us to shift in a way we have never had to in our history. Change...
For most of us, this effort requires patience, persistence, and some means to renew this commitment. The obstacles are many: the countless stressors of daily life, the subconscious beliefs and habitual thinking that compel us to defend the ego-identity we’ve formed,...
Swami Ramananda, Integral Yoga's resident swami poet shares this inspiring poem on the ego's true purpose. dear little ego are you not tired of this treasure hunt, no gold at the end of the rainbow and no end your story is a dark cloud it blocks the light but has no...
At a recent Earth Day event that was held at the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco, we honored Mother Earth with prayers, expressions of gratitude, and a puja, as we committed ourselves to restoring the earth. Many countries celebrate Mother’s Day in the month...
Human beings are by nature attuned to the threats around them as a primary means of survival. For the past year, threats to our safety have abounded in numerous forms: the Coronavirus, racial injustice, the climate emergency, political violence and senseless killings....
When Spring arrives, along with longer, warmer days and the flowering of plant life, it holds for us the potential for personal growth and awakening creative energies. In some traditions, this season is one of self-reflection, making sacrifices for a higher purpose...
Ahimsa is one of the most fundamental principles from the original scriptures of Yoga and serves as a foundation for the practice of Yoga, on and off the mat. This practice is especially important now since our world desperately needs a grassroots movement to end...
The saints and sages of many faiths are dynamic examples of how spiritual awakening is accompanied by a natural impulse to serve humanity. After experiencing the interconnection of all of life, many of these great beings were moved by a profound compassion to dedicate...
The recent political drama, on top of the continued devastation wreaked by the COVID virus, has many of us holding our breath in a state of hypervigilance or steeling ourselves against the next assault on our values. While it is important to be aware of the events...
We tend to identify with the body-mind because it is concrete, easily experienced and appears to be permanent, thus dependable, giving us a sense of security and control. Yoga teaches us that we are much more and that to center our lives around body-mind will be...
The calendar year has ended and people all over the world are ready for a fresh start. All of us in the Northern Hemisphere are now seeing the return of light to our days, which is an ideal time to recommit ourselves to awakening the inner spiritual Light. In...
In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, Swami Ramananda (director, Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco) talks with Avi Gordon (director, Integral Yoga Teachers Association) about adapting to challenges, how compassion follows naturally from meditation, and...